DANGEROUS JOURNEY

Migrant Boat Capsizes, Kills 27 in Mediterranean

Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

The body of a drowned migrant is lowered from an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) ship at the AFM Maritime Squadron base at Haywharf in Valletta's Marsamxett Harbour October 12, 2013.

A boat carrying over 200 migrants capsized 70 miles off the Italian Island of Lampedusa, leaving 27 people—including three children—dead in the Mediterranean. The vessel was spotted by the Maltese air force, which managed to rescue a reported 147 people and take them back to Malta. Italian crews picked up 56 more. The nationalities of the people on board the boat are still unknown, but Lampedusa, situated between Tunisia and Sicily, is a popular destination for African migrants headed toward Europe. Just last week, a boat filled with over 500 migrants, mostly from Somalia and Eritrea, sank near the island killing at least 319. “We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a cemetery,” said Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, urging the European Union to boost its search and rescue patrols in the area.